Campus Watch

St. Bonaventure releases non-league schedule

St. Bonaventure released its non-conference schedule which features seven teams that advanced to postseason in 2008-09, including four that made the NCAAs. Bona faces six A-10 teams that advanced past the conference tournament and into the middle of March, giving them a total of 13 opponents (14 games) with postseason experience from last season.

“This is definitely the most challenging schedule during my time at St. Bonaventure,” third-year head coach Mark Schmidt said. “The non-conference schedule is full of teams that made postseason appearances last year and that will certainly prepare us for an extremely difficult A-10 slate.”

The Bonnies will tip-off the season at home against defending Horizon League champion Cleveland State on Nov. 13. Next up will be a trip to Rochester and Blue Cross Arena on Nov. 17, to play Big East foe St. John’s for the first time since 1985. St. Bonaventure returns to the Reilly Center three days later to play Binghamton Nov 20 in its last home game until the end of December.

The Bonnies head to the BTI Classic for three games in Normal, Ill. The Bonnies will open tournament play with back-to-back contests against Southeast Missouri State (Nov. 27) and Norfolk State (Nov. 28). Bona plays host Illinois State on Nov. 29 in the final game of the tournament. Niagara University also travels to Normal this season in a return game for the BracketBuster.

The Bonnies take on Mississippi State, who could be a Top 25 team, on Dec. 5. The Bulldogs return all five starters, including All-American candidate Jarvis Varnado, and add McDonald’s All-American Renardo Sidney.

Bona plays at Syracuse Dec. 19 before taking on Niagara on Dec. 22 at the Gallagher Center then Canisius on Dec. 30. at the RC. The Bonnies close out the non-league slate on Jan. 2 at Marshall.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

NCAA: Don't use Facebook to sway recruits

College sports fans: You can cheer and rant as loud as you like, but don't use social websites like Facebook and MySpace to woo recruits to your beloved school. According to the NCAA, that's a violation and an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit.

So watch your back, the NCAA is watching.

---Rodney McKissic

Final Four All-Tournament team

Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Goran Suton, Michigan State
Most Outstanding Player: Ellington

---Rodney McKissic

Villanova vs. North Carolina game analysis

Game analysis: Villanova never knew what hit them. North Carolina built an early 16 point lead and was never truly tested again. The Tar Heels, the favorite coming into the Final Four, went to record an impressive 83-69 victory over the Wildcats.

How North Carolina won: Villanova didn’t have answer for guards Ty Lawson or Wayne Ellington. Lawson got to the basket anytime he wanted and when he wasn’t shooting he was kicking it out to Ellington and Danny Green who combined to drain nine of the Tar Heels 11 three-pointers.

Turning point: When the game was 50-45 and Nova threaten to slip back in, Green hit a three-pointer and Lawson fouled with a layup to push the advantage back up to 53-45.

Player of the game: Lawson finished with 22 points and eight assists.

Stat of the game: Nova was just 5 of 27 from three-point range.

What the win means: Carolina is playing for its fifth national championship against Michigan State on Monday night.

In the house: A record crowd of 72,456 packed Ford Field but most of the fans left after the first game.

He said it: “”We enjoyed the dickens out of this game.’’ – Carolina coach Roy Williams.

What’s next for North Carolina: Williams is gunning for his second national title since 2005. Remember when he earned a rep for not winning the big one?

---Rodney McKissic

Michigan State vs. UConn game analysis

Game analysis: Underdog Michigan State held Hasheem Thabeet and Connecticut in check and pulled way midway through the second half. Although UConn made a late push to get back in the game, the Spartans were able to come away with a hard-earned 82-73 win over the stunned Huskies.

How Michigan State won: UConn came in with a rep for cleaning the glass, but it was the Spartans who pulled in 16 offensive rebounds. They also outscored UConn 22-10 on fastbreak points and 33-7 on the bench.

Turning point: The game was tied at 49-49 when Michigan State pulled away with a 15-5 run.

Player of the game: Hard to pick just one, but Kalin Lucas scored 21 points and five assists. After a turnover midway through the second half, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called to Lucas and told him to settle down and that the lane was going to open up the rest of the night. He did and it was.

Unsung hero: Korie Lucious scored 11 points off the bench. Where has he been all tournament?

Stat of the game: A.J. Price was 5 of 20 from the field. UConn needed a more consistent game from their star guard and didn’t get it.

What the win means: A trip to the Final Four is always better when you advance to play on Monday night.

In the house: A record crowd of 72,456 packed Ford Field.

He said it: “”They came in with the right mindset and the right focus. They came in on a roll and the right time.’’ – Magic Johnson

What’s next for Michigan State: A shot at their third national championship on Monday night against the winner of North Carolina vs. Villanova.

---Rodney McKissic

Final Four Live chat

Lawson likes Jonny

DETROIT - Count Ty Lawson among the growing number of fans of Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn, the former Niagara Falls High star. He also likes Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds who he will be matched up with on Saturday.

"I watch all of the point guards, like Jonny Flynn, I've probably followed him the whole year because I like his style and the way he plays," said Lawson, whose from Clinton, Maryland. "I watch (Villanova's) Scottie, he's from back home and I watch him. I watch a lot of point guards, and a lot of basketball in general because I can learn from things and see what they're doing and the are fun to watch."

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Stanley Robinson’s emergence has helped UConn into the Final Four. In four NCAA tournament games, he’s raised his level of play, averaging 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds.

A first-semester break from classes and helped him mature. He sat out for personal and academic reasons, working at a sheet metal plant in Willimantic, Conn.

“It was tough for me to miss half of season,’’ Robinson said. “”Getting up at 4:30 in the morning and working at the metal plant with sheet metal and copper from 7-4 p.m., and after that working out, running five miles, lifting weights and working on my games. It was tough for me but to be in the Final Four now, I am really happy because I never thought I would actually be here.''

---Rodney McKissic

Yahoo!: UConn violated NCAA rules

UConn violated NCAA rules in the recruitment of former guard Nate Miles Yahoo! Sports is reporting.

The report indicates that Miles was provided with lodging, transportation, restaurant meals and representation by Josh Nochimson – a professional sports agent and former UConn student manager – between 2006 and 2008, according to multiple sources. As a representative of UConn’s athletic interests, NCAA rules barred Nochimson from having contact with Miles or from providing him with anything of value.

Adrian Wojnarowski, a St. Bonaventure graduate, and Dan Wetzel are excellent journalists who provide detailed accounts of phone records between Nochimson and the UConn staff. The phone calls are the smoking gun that could land the Big East program on probation. It will also be interesting to see how the Huskies players react during their Sweet 16 matchup against Purdue.

---Rodney McKissic

Flynn: 'I'm coming back to Syracuse'

Perhaps no guard in the country has improved his NBA draft status more over the last two weeks than former Niagara Falls High school star Jonny Flynn. But the Syracuse sophomore point guard told Bud Poliquin of the Syracuse Post-Standard that he is returning to the Orange for his junior year.

"I'm coming back to Syracuse," Flynn said. "That's it. I'm coming back to Syracuse. There is no 'as of right now.' I'm coming back to Syracuse. Yeah. I'm coming back to Syracuse."

If Flynn returns next season, the Orange would return all five starters from this year's Sweet 16 team, a team that could very well be one of Jim Boeheim's best ever. In addition to Flynn, the Orange return Paul Harris, Flynn's high school sidekick and guards Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins. Also back are big men Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson and the incoming freshmen class of Brandon Triche, James Southerland and DaShonte Riley. And don't forget Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson who some say is good enough to elevate the Orange to an elite level.

It all starts with Flynn and if he's true to his word, the Orange could be the pre-season No. 1.

---Rodney McKissic

Now that's more like it

Day One of the NCAA tournament was predictable but Day Two featured six upsets.

The biggest shocker was No. 13 seed Cleveland State's 84-69 rout of No. 4 Wake Forest in Miami. Then No. 12 Arizona, who many believed didn't deserve to even be in the tournament, knocked off No. 5 Utah, 84-71.

MAAC champion and No. 9 seed Siena had one of the toughest first-round matchups of anyone, playing Ohio State in Dayton, yet still managed to stun the Buckeyes, 74-72, in double overtime. Now they have to play No. 1 Louisville, who should breeze to the Final Four. The Cardinals won't face an opponent seeded higher than No. 9 until the Elite Eight. No. 12 Wisconsin, another bubble team last week, defeated No. 5 Florida State and No. 10 USC, behind Taj Gibson's 10-for-10 shooting, beat No. 7 Boston College.

Day Three of the Dance will be a lot like Day One - not much drama - but if you're looking for a sure-fire, bet-the-house, 100-percent but don't-call-me-if-I'm-wrong upset special try:

No. 6 UCLA over No. 3 Villanova - I know, I know this game is being played in Philly, but UCLA last lost on the road over a month ago at Arizona. The Bruins play more like a Big East team than a finesse West Coast squad and will not be intimadated by the Wildcats physical defense.

---Rodney McKissic